English Language Learners in Boston

Hey, turns out that Bunker Hill Community College has free public wifi!
You may have heard about the recent agreement between the Boston Public Schools and the Department of Justice around English Language Learners (note that Worcester Public Schools has an agreement going back to 2007(?)).
Assistant Superintendent Eileen de los Reyes is speaking here of the history of ELL students in BPS (complicated on one hand by Boston's desegregation plan--the ELL plan was a voluntary agreement under the terms of the desegregation plan--and the passage of the Question 2, which went through just as the voluntary agreement was being dismantled and before a replacement could be put in place).
"as a district we've explored that you learn English by osmosis" she says, tongue in cheek. There were 4000 kids who had no services. BPS just went from 11,000 students in ELL programs to 16,000 students under the terms of the agreement.
Students in ELL may not be denied the full range of school placement options afforded other students. Special education services may not trump ELL services (she says to applause from two Worcester guidance counselors, which means we're screwing this up somehow). Students need to get both services concurently.
Services follow children; there is no such thing as opting out.
"our object is not to make them monolingual...we all should be striving to be multilingual..."
"should begin to see these families as an asset to the district...my dream is that all children become bilingual, bicultural, at least"
"Part of moving forward is to have teachers who are dually certified in those classrooms"
The teachers will be tri-certified: content, ELL, and special ed.
"We've ignored the MEPA in favor of the MCAS...for instuction purposes, looking at the MEPA is very helpful"
"if you have ELLs in the classroom, you need to teach them as ELLs"